Stronger Together: Partnerships

At the Land Trust of the Treasure Valley we understand the value of working side by side with other like-minded organizations by taking advantage of individual strengths to achieve shared goals. We are able to complete important projects without duplicating administration, often reaching more people than we could on our own. We are active participants in the following programs.

Boise river enhancement network

The Land Trust of the Treasure Valley has been working with the Boise River Enhancement Network (BREN) since its founding in 2011.

BREN is a network of concerned citizens who work, live and play on the Boise River. In 2015, BREN released its Boise River Enhancement Plan, a robust literature review of the major issues pertaining to the state of the Boise River that gives recommendations for enhancement activities to improve wildlife habitat, ecosystem function and water quality. As a partner in BREN, the Land Trust has applied for and received grants to implement recommendations from the plan. Most recently, a grant was received in 2017 from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for a project to restore upland habitat at the City of Boise's Hyatt Wetlands, with members of the neighborhood as participants, including resettled refugees resettled to Idaho. In 2017, the Network, through another BREN partner, Trout Unlimited, also received a grant to 'daylight' Cottonwood Creek in Julia Davis Park. This small tributary to the Boise River had been redirected to a culvert several decades ago, and this project will bring it back to the surface and restore riparian areas for water quality and wildlife benefit. The Land Trust will take the lead in revegetating with native plants once the construction is complete.

Membership in BREN is free and open to the public. Click HERE to learn more about the Boise River Enhancement Network.

Bird by bird

Bird by Bird is a program organized by the US Fish & Wildlife Service and Idaho Fish & Game that brings birding to schools across the Treasure Valley to foster environmental stewardship in students. Facilitators visit Idaho schools to provide instruction and lessons to students while assisting them in cataloguing bird populations for Fish and Game data collection.

Bird by Bird provides children with the opportunity to take their classroom experiences home. The program teaches students how and when to look for birds, and how to build and use bird feeders to attract and count bird species, but just as importantly, it teaches them to observe, to question and to learn. Students enter their data to help Audubon keep track of bird populations. The Land Trust of the Treasure Valley has worked with 2nd graders at Star Elementary for several years, fostering understanding of and an appreciation for the natural environment through bird watching.

Golden Eagle Audubon Society, Intermountain Bird Observatory, as well as several agency partners also provide facilitators. To learn more about Bird by Bird, visit the websites of other partners, or to see a list of schools throughout the Treasure Valley schools participating in the program, go to www.birdbybirdidaho.com, or click HERE.